After watching managers run out of pitchers and the 2002 All-Star Game end in a tie, Bud Selig apparently felt embarrassed.

Or maybe he was feeling the effects of the bratwurst he had wolfed down watching the events unfold in his "home ballpark" in Milwaukee.

Bud Selig definitely lost his mind that night—or whatever was left of it heading into the game.

From his questionable decision to increase roster sizes to the idiotic decision to have home-field advantage in the World Series decided by the results of what is supposed to be an exhibition game, Bud Selig has continued to show levels of ineptitude that even this writer did not think were possible.

Across town in New York, the NHL, under the equally questionable watch of Gary Bettman, has put together what many consider to be the best weekend of events in all of sports, culminating in their All-Star game.

Laugh at the NHL if you must, but if you have not taken notice of what they have put together to showcase their sport, you, my friend, are missing out.

The following are four things Major League Baseball could—and should—change to make this event more memorable and entertaining, some which are taken from their crosstown neighbors.

Showcase the Skills

I refuse to watch it, however, because I cannot stand Chis Berman. I find him increasingly annoying each time he shows up on my television, forcing me to contort my body in ways it should not in a fruitless effort to grab the remote and change the channel before he has a chance to say anything.

I propose that the Home Run Derby be made to be part of an all-encompassing skills competition, each individual competition of which having multiple rounds before declaring a winner.

The events:

Home Run Derby: Remains the same, no real changes needed. Congratulations to the 2011 champion, Robinson Cano.

Strongest OF Arm: Outfielders all start from a designated spot in a corner of the OF, trying to reach on the fly a target placed somewhere on the field.

Fastest Baserunner: Who is the quickest man in the game? Reyes? Bourn? Gardner?

Hardest Pitch: Who can bring the most heat?

Precision Pitching: Pitchers have a set number of pitches with which to destroy targets around home plate—most targets destroyed by using the fewest pitches is the name of the game, very similar to the NHL Shooting Accuracy competition.

Of course, all these "wins" come with cash prizes... which are promptly donated to charities of the winning players' choices.

Make the Players Pay

Regardless of whether a player has a legitimate injury, a newly-created "injury," yearns to spend time with family, etc., if a player is named an All-Star, he should attend.

Not necessarily play.

Attend.

Before you get ahead of yourselves, this is not a knee-jerk reaction to Derek Jeter's choosing to miss tonight's game—I happen to be fine with his decision, because it's his decision to make.

But the decision should come with some consequence, so here is the change:

If a player is selected to the All-Star Game and chooses not to attend, whether it be due to injury or otherwise, that player is suspended for the first regular season game following the All-Star game, or in the case of a pitcher, suspended for one start following the All-Star game.

A notable exception would be if a player has a legitimate medical issue, such as A-Rod, who just had knee surgery yesterday—those players would be exempt from punishment.